Penguin Group (USA)

After decades of decline, independent bookselling has become a growth industry. For the fourth year in a row, membership has increased in the American Bookseller Association, the independent stores' trade group. According to CEO Oren Teicher, the association now includes 1,632 members , some operating in multiple locations , up 65 from last year. In 2009, there were 1,401 members and strong pessimism in the face of superstore chains, the online power of Amazon.com and the recent financial crisis.

Teicher notes the liquidation of Borders in 2011, but also credits the ongoing "buy local" movement and independents' growing comfort

After decades of decline, independent bookselling has become a growth industry.

For the fourth year in a row, membership has increased in the American Bookseller Association, the independent stores' trade group. According to CEO Oren Teicher, the association now includes 1,632 members — some operating in multiple locations — up 65 from last year. In 2009, there were 1,401 members and strong pessimism in the face of superstore chains, the online power of Amazon.com and the recent financial crisis.

Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI), the world leader in indie book publishing, announced today that “The Procrastinator’s Digest,” by Timothy A. Pychal, Ph.D., which he self-published with Xlibris, has been acquired by Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). “Tarcher/Penguin is excited to sign up one of Author Solutions’ success stories and bring it to an even wider audience,” said Joel Fotinos, vice president and publisher, Tarcher/Penguin.

The standoff between publishers and libraries over e-books is rapidly easing.

On Wednesday, Hachette Book Group became the fourth major publisher this year to announce it was expanding its digital offerings to libraries. Hachette, whose authors include Stephenie Meyer and Malcolm Gladwell, will offer its entire e-catalog to libraries after two years of pilot programs. New books will be available simultaneously in paper and e-editions, a policy also recently adapted by Penguin Group (USA). Hachette, Penguin and other publishers had previously restricted newer works out of concern for lost sales.

NEW YORK, NY (April 24, 2013) — What makes books sexy? With “Fifty Shades of Grey” a worldwide literary phenomenon, Bookish (www.bookish.com), the popular site for readers, has launched a feature package devoted to sex in literature. The special includes exclusive contributions from celebrated authors and personalities:

· Acclaimed sex therapist and writer Dr. Ruth Westheimer reveals how “Fifty Shades of Grey” and similar reads impact real-life couples, and advises men that they should start behaving more like a good read if they want to be considered a good lover.
· Eric Van Lustbader, bestselling author of “The Ninja” and current author of the legendary “Bourne” series, discusses the art of writing a great sex scene.
· Award-winning novelist Deeanne Gist explains why her “inspirational romance” titles are filled with passion – but always stop short of the bedroom.

From Kodiak to Key West, Concord to Carlsbad, Grand Forks to Galveston, in 6,200 towns and cities across America, more than 25,000 World Book Night U.S. volunteers will go out and personally hand out a half million free books to new or light readers on one day: April 23, 2013.

Libraries and library staff continue to respond to the needs of their communities, providing key resources as budgets are reduced, speaking out forcefully against book-banning attempts and advocating for free access to digital content in libraries, with a keen focus placed on ebook formats.

Led by the American Library Association (ALA), libraries offer resources often unavailable elsewhere during an economic “recovery” that finds about 12 million Americans unemployed and millions more underemployed. And the library community continues to rally support for school libraries, which seem destined to bear the brunt of federal budget sequestration.

These and other library trends of the past year are detailed in the ALA’s 2013 State of America’s Libraries Report, released today during National Library Week, April 14 – 20.

The publisher of Khaled Hosseini, Harlan Coben and other popular authors has decided that it's comfortable with letting libraries offer e-book editions of brand new releases.

Starting Tuesday, libraries can offer e-books from Penguin Group (USA) at the same time that the hardcover comes out, a switch from the previous policy of delaying downloads for six months, the publisher told The Associated Press. While vastly more e-books are available to libraries compared with a few years ago, Penguin and other publishers have limited digital access for fear of losing sales.

Bookish (www.bookish.com) a one-stop, comprehensive online destination designed to connect readers with books and authors, launches today, providing visitors with exclusive content and insider access to A-list writers. Notable launch stories include: A joint interview with legendary crime fiction writer Michael Connelly and prize-winning suspense author Michael Koryta, revealing that Connelly had begun a book centering on a school shooting prior to the tragedy in Sandy Hook. The article also features juicy tidbits about both Connelly and Koryta’s upcoming books: www.bookish.com/connelly